GAO Releases this week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as Social Security reform, steroid use and homeland security. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

• Anabolic Steroid Abuse: Federal Efforts to Prevent and Reduce Anabolic Steroid Abuse among Teenagers. GAO-08-15, October 31.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-15
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0815high.pdf
• Homeland Security: Federal Efforts Are Helping to Alleviate Some Challenges Encountered by State and Local Information Fusion Centers. GAO-08-35, October 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-35
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0835high.pdf
  
• NASA: Agency Has Taken Steps Toward Making Sound Investment Decisions for Ares I but Still Faces Challenging Knowledge Gaps. GAO-08-51, October 31.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-51
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0851high.pdf
• Nuclear and Worker Safety: Actions Needed to Determine the Effectiveness of Safety Improvement Efforts at NNSA's Weapons Laboratories. GAO-08-73, October 31.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-73
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0873high.pdf
• Social Security Reform: Issues for Disability and Dependent Benefits. GAO-08-26, October 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-26
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0826high.pdf
  

Correspondence

• Digital Television Transition: Questions on the DTV Converter Box Subsidy Program and a DTV Inter-Agency Task Force. GAO-08-297R, November 19.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-297R
• Potential Effect of Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act on Child Support Payments Cannot Be Determined because Data Needed for Study Are Not Available. GAO-08-148R, October 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-148R
  

Presentation By The Comptroller General

• "DOD Transformation Challenges and Opportunities," by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the Department of Defense FY 2008 Managers' Internal Control Program Conference, in Washington, DC. GAO-08-323CG, November 29.
  http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08323cg.pdf

World AIDS Day 2007

World AIDS Day is observed every year on December 1. It was established in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness and focus attention on the global AIDS epidemic. The World AIDS Day theme for 2007 is strong, committed leadership and builds upon the 2006 theme of accountability. The slogan for 2001-2010 is "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise."

Check out these World Aids Day sites:

• CDC World AIDS Day
• National Aids Trust World AIDS Day (United Kingdom)
• United Nations World AIDS Day
  
• World AIDS Campaign (WHO)
  

Read "Bush Urges Congress to Approve Additional AIDS Funds" from the Washington Post. You might also want to check out the press release from the White House, "President Bush Discusses World AIDS Day."

For more information on HIV and AIDS worldwide, check out the websites from the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and UNAIDS.

Want more health and medical information? Check out the library's guide.

2007/08 Human Development Report

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has just released the most recent edition of the Human Development Report. This year the report focuses on the issue of climate change (last year brought us an examination of water).

The UNDP is the UN's global development arm, which means that they work to promote development in a number of areas, focusing on Democratic governance, poverty reduction, crisis prevention and recovery, energy and the environment, and HIV/AIDS. Each year, they put out the human development report focusing on a particular area of concern in development.

In addition to the standard collection of statistics and country reports, this year's report also contains carbon footprint features.

Interested in more development resources? Check out the library's guide.

Interested in more resources on climate change? Check out the library's guide.

U.S. obesity rates leveling -- but still high

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that obesity rates among adults in the United States have not significantly changed between 2003-04 and 2005-06. Around one third of Americans over the age of twenty were obese in 2005-06 (33.3 percent of men and 35.3 percent of women). These rates show no statistically significant change from 2003-04, when 31.1 percent of men and 33.2 percent of women were obese. However, more than 72 million Americans are counted as obese and obesity rates have been rising since 1980, when only 15 percent of Americans were termed obese.

Read the full report, "Obesity Among Adults in the United States--No Change Since 2003-2004" from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics. You might also want to check out the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity for more information on obesity and related programs, news, and publications. Check out your state's obesity levels between 1985-2006 with CDC's nifty animated map.

Read "US Obesity Rates Seem to Have Leveled" from the Washington Post and "CDC: U.S. obesity rates leveling off" from CNN.

Want more information on health and medical information? Check out the library's guide.

Annapolis Conference Round-up

The Annapolis Conference for peace in the Middle East has finished up and while there is no explicit peace treaty coming out of the conference there are promises for continuation of the discussion. Want to learn more? Here are some of the various government sites:

• Annapolis Conference Page This the main site for the conference, but it is more for media and getting to the conference, etc. then actual news on the conference itself.
• Middle East Peace This page from the Department of State links to the various press releases, statements, etc. to come out of the conference.
• Joint Understanding from the White House This is the understanding reached by Israel and Palestine in regards to going forth in the peace process.
• "Mideast Talks Yield Promises To Press On: Israelis, Palestinians Will Restart Peace Negotiations" article from the Washington Post

Want more information on the Arab-Israeli conflict? Check out the library's guide.